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Sam Walter Foss
Sam Walter Foss (June 19, 1858 - February 26, 1911) was an American poet and librarian whose works included The House by the Side of the Road and The Coming American.SeacoastNH.com - Poet Foss spoke for the Common ManThe Ethical Society of St. Louis: Sam Walter Foss: Minor poet with a major message Life left|thumb|Birthplace of Sam Foss in [[Candia, New Hampshire: the original "House by the Side of the Road"]] Foss was born in rural Candia, New Hampshire. He lost his mother at age four, worked on his father's farm and went to school in the winter. He graduated from Brown University in 1882, and would be considered illustrious enough to warrant having his name inscribed on the mace. Beginning in 1898, he served as librarian at the Somerville Public Library in Massachusetts. He married a minister's daughter, with whom he had a daughter and a son. Foss used to write a poem a day for the newspapers, and his 5 volumes of collected poetry are of the frank and homely “common man” variety. Foss is buried in the North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island. Recognition "Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains, Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains." -- Sam Walter Foss, from "The Coming American", July 4, 1894. These words were inscribed on a granite wall at the United States Air Force Academy to inspire cadets and officers, but they were removed in 2003. In popular culture Longtime baseball announcer Ernie Harwell often alluded to a Foss poem when he described a batter taking a called 3rd strike: "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by." Singer Lamya's song "Empires (Bring Me Men)" takes most of its lyrics from The Coming American. Publications Poetry * Back Country Poems. Boston: Potter Publishing, 1892; Boston: Lee & Shepard, 1894. * Whiffs from Wild Meadows. Boston: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepherd, 1895. * Dreams in Homespun. Boston: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepherd, 1897. * Songs of War and Peace. Boston: Lee, & Shephard, 1899. * The Song of the Library Staff (illustrated by Merle De Vore Johnson). New York: J.R. Anderson, 1906; Berkeley, CA: Peacock Press, 1965. * Songs of the Average Man (illustrated by Merle Johnson). Boston: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepherd, 1907. *''The House by the Side of the Road''. Montreal, QC: Charles Corbett Ronalds, 1921; St. Paul, MN: Brown & Bigelow, 1924. Non-fiction *''The Simple Speller: For the more easy attaining the true reading of English'' (with Charles Battell Loomis). New York: Trow Press, 1907. *''The Library Alcove, and other library writings'' (edited by Norman W. Stevens). Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1987. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Sam Walter Foss, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 15, 2014. See also *List of U.S. poets References External links ;Poems *"The House by the Side of the Road" *"The Calf-Path" at the Academy of American Poets *"The Coming American" *Poems by Sam Walter Foss at Poets' Corner (5 poems) *Sam Walter Foss at PoemHunter (14 poems) ;Audio / video *"The House by the Side of the Road" at LibriVox *Sam Walter Foss at YouTube ;Books *Sam Walter Foss at Amazon.com ;About *"Poet Foss Spoke for the Common Man" at Seacoast NH. *"Sam Walter Foss: Gotta luv those old-time minor poets" *"Sam Walter Foss: Minor poet with a major message" * Category:1858 births Category:1911 deaths Category:People from Candia, New Hampshire Category:American poets Category:Writers from Massachusetts Category:19th-century poets Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Humorous poets